


Home Improvement

by Ursa_99



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, mom said she needed a stud detector-my head was in a different place apparently
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:08:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28555146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursa_99/pseuds/Ursa_99
Summary: A cat, she was picking paint for her cat. And Korra thought she pampered Naga.“Well, I’m off to close up. Kuvira can finish helping you. Have a good day ma’am, I hope you and Minnie find what you are looking for” Korra bowed out politely. She knew Kuvira would get her for this but if she had to spend another second staring at paint colors for a cat, well, Lin would be meeting her again sooner rather than later.
Relationships: Baatar Jr./Kuvira (Avatar), Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra & Kuvira (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 1
Kudos: 48





	Home Improvement

Beep

Beep

Beep

“That will be $27.79, cash or credit”

The old mand grunted a reply that she couldn’t understand. Geese, this man is as happy as Mako is on a normal day.

Korra watched, with great irritation as the man counted out bills—in _ones_.

You have got to be kidding me.

A snicker could be heard from the adjacent cashier machine. It was Bolin, doing a horrible job at not grinning at her growing anger. It was not unknown to her co-workers that she had a streak of mean in her personality a mile wide, one that just did not like dealing with troublesome customers. Or assholes.

It’s one reason why she was promoted to shift manager because no one could make a stubborn or Karen customer gone faster than Korra.

The old man grunted again, dropping a hand full of loose change just two inches away from Korra’s waiting and opened palm.

Now that is one thing that will piss off and offend a cashier, never do that, it doesn’t take much effort to drop coins into a waiting hand. The crap cashiers and other average works deal with is astronomically stupid…but with practiced patience (a small voice in the back of her head that sounded like Tenzin was telling her that she needed to practice more) Korra smiled professionally.

“Thank you, have a great day”

The old man just grunted, dragging his bag away and hacked up a ball of spit right in the middle of the path.

“Why that dried-up, half dead bag of—” A hand patted her on the back, it was Mako. He normally ran with appliances and lighting, but with the holiday break over many workers who endured the holiday crowds were taking some time off—finally. Unfortunately, that just left a hand full of workers, them and the newer recruits.

“Relax, old man Yama is an acquired taste”

“Fine” she growled. The clink of change sounding just as angry as Korra.

“Hey, at least he isn’t the worse customer you had to deal with today” Bolin cut in.

“Hey, Bo”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. Yeah, worse customer today wasn’t the stereotypical Karen, or the kid taking a shit in the display toilets (it happened five times _today_ …and only one of the perpetrators was a kid); no, worse customer today had to go to that crybaby man-child that threatened to sue her after she threw him out of the store for up-skirting several workers and customers in the store.

God, she really needed to get another pay raise with the bullshit she had to deal with. Just a couple more seasons and then she could try graduate school.

“At least HR was involved this time, and I notified a friend who said she’d expediate the process”

“Opal!” Bolin cried, hugging his girlfriend off the ground.

“Hello to you too Bolin, did you three want to grab dinner. I’m off in ten and I wanted to introduce you to my new friend”

“Totally” Bolin yelled, he threw an arm around Mako “come of bro you coming this time”

The older man sighed, “Sure, how about you Korra”

“I’d love to, but I’m on for another hour and then I have to lock up with Kuvira”

“Don’t worry” Opal said, “My friend will take at _least_ an hour so that everything is squeaky clean and presentable for HR on your little pervert from earlier”

Korra couldn’t help but make a face that brought a round of laughs to the group. She rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll meet you later—oh, and Opal are we gonna get the name of your friend?”

“Nope” Opal popped the ‘p’, “you’re going to have to wait for later. And watch out for the perverts”

Korra shook her fist in the air “the perverts need to watch out for me”

…

Turns out the normal hour felt like three and it wasn’t even half way over.

“Kill me now” she muttered.

“Don’t tempt me” Kuvira growled alongside her, the woman’s own irritation palpable.

Korra couldn’t blame her, her own ire has sky rocketed to new heights within the last three minutes.

“Oh, and what about this color. Easy on the eyes yes”, an old joyful voice asked.

Korra and Kuvira stood behind a very old grandma. It was their last customer of the night.

“Yes ma’am. Is this the color you would like?” Korra smiled, her face starting to crack. Normally old grannies weren’t too bad, maybe a little slow with their age, but the timing couldn’t be worse. It was Friday, she just wanted to drink with her friends, who by the time she’s out of here would be drunk or dead by old age. And it wasn’t just her, Korra knew Kuvira was supposed to be out with her fiancé right now getting ready to leave to meet with her mother.

The only upside was at their expense. Opal had texted her adopted sister and her to make sure they were alright and not killing each other, even if they were friends, she and Kuvira were just as likely to strangle each other with a hug as they were to just kill each other. When Opal heard that they got a nice, but _very_ slow woman five minutes after she left and had kept them till now—well—the amount of snail pictures was proof enough.

At least the snail with Korra’s name on its shell looked cute as it tried engulfing a strawberry like it was an amoeba.

*ding*

Korra took a second to see if the old lady was looking at her but instead, she had pulled Kuvira away to pick a higher placed color palette to look at. Opening her messages, she found herself face to face with a close up of Bolin’s face, a snail sitting on the finger her was holding up between himself and Opal’s phone.

She couldn’t help the extra air that escaped through her nose. Korra set a reminder to find something snail themed for Opal’s birthday before dragging her feet back to the old woman.

“No, no that just won’t do. What about that one—actually that might be too bright. Hmm, how about that one” Kuvira plucked the paper having various light brown color schemes and handed it to the woman. Korra could see her friend’s eyebrow twitch sporadically.

“No not this one either” the old woman hummed. Kuvira looked like she was about to commit murder.

“Well,” Korra spoke up, hoping to rush this order anyway possible so they could leave. “Is there a specific feeling you are wanting to bring to the room you’re paining, are you trying to match colors with furniture you already have?” Hoping against all things out there that there was some sort of lead to this boring case.

“Oh, I’m looking for something that Minnie would like”

Well at least it was a development somewhere.

“And this Minnie is” Korra prompted gently.

“My Savannah, isn’t she the cutest”

A phone shoved itself into Korra’s face, a very angry cat was on the other side tearing into a mouse, and not a toy one at that.

“She…is”

A cat, she was picking paint for her cat. And Korra thought she pampered Naga.

“Well, I’m off to close up. Kuvira can finish helping you. Have a good day ma’am, I hope you and Minnie find what you are looking for” Korra bowed out politely. She knew Kuvira would get her for this but if she had to spend another second staring at paint colors for a cat, well, Lin would be meeting her again sooner rather than later.

Korra practically sprinted away, Kuvira’s wrath clearly on her face. Korra could see her friend mouth “ _I’ll kill you_ ”

She let out another snort.

…

Korra had shut down all but one of the cashier machines, brought Naga back from her nap time in the employee lounge, and had her back to the aisles as she surfed her phone. It was for this reason that she didn’t see the person behind her.

“Excuse me”

“Bwah!” Korra’s phone clattered to the table after her failed attempts to catch her portal to the outside world. “Hi” Korra squeaked stumbling to put on a more professional posture. “How may I…help you”

Normally Korra wasn’t one for the whole, love at first sight shtick, because no one was perfect, besides Naga of course. But this woman, in front of her was something else.

The woman looked amazing, dressed in a red and black suit that seemed to show off all the right angles and somehow the curves too. Korra also noticed that she was tall, closer to Mako’s height that her own. While Korra was trying to find some sort of word to described the beauty, nothing seemed to paint the person in front of Korra quite right.

The woman hummed, “Snail you later, tonight?”

“Wha—Oh!” Korra picked up her phone, but not before the woman had seen a horribly photoshoped image of snails lined up in a circle like a cult, each with a headshot croped of their little group. In the middle was an equally bad paste over pic of a beer can on a carrot.

“Sorry about that”

The woman laughed and Korra felt like she needed to sit down. It was a beautiful laugh. “Don’t worry, your friends seem…interesting”

“That’s one word to describe them”

“Hmm, well your friend helping the nice old lady said you were free”

“Yup anytime you’re free I’m free” Korra smiled before the words registered. “I mean—I’m always here for my customers”

Korra cringed even more. Great job, Korra now you sound like a creep. She had to resist the strong urge to slam a palm to her face.

“Such tireless workers here. No wonder this place is so popular”

Korra would like to agree but the real reason this place is so popular is that Korra was able to make an agreement with the owners to let Ikki and Jinora adopt out the stray critters that come through their doors.

Turns out the public loved the two girls just as much as their big hearts and animals in arms.

“You should see this place on Saturdays, we hold adoptions”

The woman smiled, “Oh, I’ve been. Tenzin’s kids are very energetic”

A big wall of fur and slobber jumped up, a deep whoof echoed in the currently dead silent store. The great white beast vaulted over the cashier’s desk and onto the mysterious woman.

  
It seems that the dark-haired beauty had became the next victim of a Naga hug.

“Naga no! I’m so sorry!” Korra pulled her giant lug off, having to use her entire weight to pull Naga’s slobbering mouth away before scrambling back to help the woman up, “Careful, are you okay. Naga thinks she still a puppy, even when she’s graduated service training”

To her surprise the woman just laughed again, wincing only slightly when she touched her most likely now bruised elbow, “It’s alright, I get thrown harder on the mat when I train”

“Sorry again” Korra gathered the woman’s fallen things and started scanning them, checking to make sure that nothing was broken in Naga’s dash for a new friend.

Beep

Beep

Beep

“Naga’s sweet, besides it’s not the first time I’ve met her” the woman said, breaking the slightly awkward silence.

That was news to Korra, “Oh, I’m sorry have we met before”

There couldn’t be anyway they’ve met, Korra would remember. It’s not like she’s met many people dressed to the nines in clearly expensive attire with a face to match.

“No, not us…but I have been to plenty of your adoption events, and Naga tends to come find me from time to time”

Cool, good news is that Naga made a friend that won’t try to get her euthanized. Also, good news to know were Naga runs off to someti—wait.

“Please tell me you weren’t there last Saturday”

The woman bit her lip and Korra had to rip her eyes away from the action before she does something stupid, like kiss a complete stranger.

A very hot stranger, her mind added.

“You were there, weren’t you” Korra groaned as she tried to keep the flame of embarrassment from her cheeks. This time she did not try to keep a palm from hitting her face.

“Yes”, The black beauty laughed “I was. It was quite a show, and you looked _amazing_ by the way. No need to feel embarrassed”

Korra was feeling nothing but embarrassed. That meant that this woman, who Korra was crushing on majorly at the moment, was there last Saturday. Meaning she was there when Korra was trying to show off some of the moves Tenzin trained to her, which meant she saw her fall into the fire pit that was a part of the outdoor demo area.

The fire pit that was lit, as in on _fire_ , where Korra had rolled into and out of. When she couldn’t put out the fire with her hands, Korra had ripped her shirt and shorts off thus given a very different type of show to the audience…at least she was wearing boxers and a sports bra.

Korra couldn’t stop the groan.

“Don’t worry I enjoyed the show you put on, before and _after_ that little accident. I hope you are okay though”

Korra peaked through her cracked fingers, “the only thing damaged is my pride”

Perfectly manicured nails drummed across Korra’s table, Korra watched transfixed. The clack of nails seemed deafening, as if they were trying to give her heart palpitations; and those fingers, long gorgeous fingers. Her eyes traced the nails all the way up the arm till blue met green.

Maybe she was dealing with a forest spirit.

“I wouldn’t worry about that” The woman purred. Korra hadn’t noticed that the woman shifted her weight till she was leaning half-way on the other side till they were less than a foot away.

Korra gulped.

Don’t think about that sultry voice, don’t think about those pert lips and those fingers, I wonder if her legs are just as lon—Korra, stop it!

“Your total is $53.40, miss?”

“Asami” The woman—Asami—held out a hand. Her voice carrying out her name as if it was a feather in the sky.

Korra shook it, only to jerk her hand back when a static shock went through them.

“Sorry” they both said at the same time.

“Heh, this has been a shocking experience” Korra said, rubbing the back of her head.

Asami groaned at the pun, and if that sound didn’t send a different shock through Korra’s body, than it was the smile that did it.

“Not a fan of puns” Korra grinned.

“Only the over used ones”

Korra found herself rubbing the back of her head harder, “Consider them classic instead of overused”

Asami hummed as she pulled out to pay. Korra tried desperately to think of something, anything, really to say so that the woman in front of her would not leave quite yet.

“So, uh…you do interior design or something” Well it wasn’t the worst question to ask and Korra did work in a home improvement store so it was at least on topic.

With her face still down plugging in her pin, Asami raised a brow before turning her eyes back onto Korra.

When she heard the beep, Korra automatically moved to catch the receipt that the machine spit out. She didn’t have to take her eyes of the green in front of her.

“No”, Asami said quietly, as if it was some sort of secret that she was hiding. “I’m an engineer and run my own business”

“Cool, cool. Here” Korra slowly handed the receipt to Asami, “Hope to see you again—uh, at the store”

“I might have to take you up on that and get a refund on this” Asami held up a hand sized device, running it up and down just inches away from Korra.

“Might want to talk with marketing” she continued, “they need a new one of these, or at least not one manufactured by Cabbage Corp”

“Oh,” Korra said, “did Naga accidently break it. I can go and get you another one”

“Oh, Naga didn’t break it”

Korra frowned, completely lost. “I don’t understand”

“It’s a stud detector and I have one right in front of me, damn thing didn’t go off—must be faulty manufacturing”

Korra stood frozen as Asami leaned closer, still not touching but she might as well be. The device in her hand the only thing separating them.

“Beep” Asami smiled with a wink, “there’s a stud right in front of me” not even a second after her long legs were taking her away.

Korra was rooted to the spot by the time Asami was half way out the main entrance. Did she just flirt with her…using a pun!

Black hair was almost completely gone when Korra vaulted her table, her apron thrown over her shoulder as she sprinted to the engineer. Naga barked happily and ran after.

“Wait” she gasped. “you used a pun—I mean, no that’s not what I mean but—argh!—look would you like to maybe I don’t know” Korra ran a hand through her hair with one arm while the other calmed itself by doing the same with Naga.

“Hang out at the next adoption event?”

Korra screamed at herself silently. Really! Why can’t you just say date? It’s not that hard!

To her surprise Asami didn’t look shocked, instead she looked a bit relieved and more importantly like the cat that caught the canary.

“I’d love to, see you later _Korra_ ” she winked before getting into a dark car that drove up and away

It was a solid five minutes of Korra staring off into space with a dumb smile on her face.

“Your face will freeze like that” a voice said behind her.

“Wha—god, don’t scare me like that Kurvira. You’re going to give me a heart attack”

Korra watched as those eyebrows twitched again, “How about I expediate the process and break your neck instead after leaft me with cat paint lady! What are you so happy about anyway”

A smug smile crawled up Korra’s face, “I’ve got a date”

All she got back though was a scoff.

“I’m serious there was with hot woman—her names Asami—and”

Kuvira latched an arm over her shoulders, “And you have the most horrid puns in the world, like ‘a shocking experience’? I _know_ for a fact you have better pick-up lines than that”

“I was panicking—wait, were you there the whole time?!”

Kuvira patted her back mockingly, “Unfortunately, had to boot up another check out lain since you were hogging the last one. Whatever, the place is closed now and we are off, so let’s go get a drink”

“Opal and the guys are already at South Wave, if you want to join, but don’t you have to meet with Baatar?”

Korra could feel the sigh leaving her friend’s body. Kuvira showed her phone, it seemed like Opal was having the time of her life. Multiple pictures of snails also littered her message feed, the only difference was that Kuvira also received pictures of Baatar getting more and more drunk—and it looked like he was the only one.

The words ‘Hangover Part IV’—PS: he was dared’ were at the bottom of the latest picture.

“Dead?” Korra asked.

“Oh, definitely gonna be. Come on let’s drop your fuzz ball off at home first”

Naga barked happily at their side.

…

The bar was surprisingly not as crowded as Korra would have thought for a Friday night, but hey less people she had to deal with the better.

“Guys you won’t believe what just happened” Korra’s enthusiasm seemed to be rivaling Bolin’s, who was trying to see how many fries he could stuff in his mouth at the moment.

“Korra, Kurvira! Glad you didn’t kill each other” Opal chimed in bringing a heaping tray of food.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. The night is still young and _someone_ ” Korra elbowed Kuvira as they sat down on one side. “promised to kill me later”

Kuvira smirked, “You did leave me in the most _boring_ situation of my life, besides are you going to thank me yet for my good deed of the day”

Korra frowned, “What good deed, everything you do is to gain something”

She feigned hurt, holding a hand over her heart “so cold, that hit right here, Korra”

“What good deed” Mako asked, passing one of the appetizers Opal delivered.

“Helped nudge a hottie in her direction” She dipped some fries in her milkshake. “Korra almost blew it thought”

“What!” Korra sputtered, “I’m calling bull”

Her friend shrugged, the small smirk growing into a full-on grin. “Oh, I don’t know, she was _very_ intent on meeting you. If you don’t trust me ask Opal”

“Kuvira!” Opal chided.

“What is she talking about”

Opal sighed, guess the cat is out of the bag now.

“It was going to come out eventually” Kuvira offered slapping down some napkins on her passed out fiancé who was drooling on the table across from her.

“Look you know that friend I talked about”

“The mysterious one that has no name” Bolin offered a little spit shooting out, a fist of fries less than an inch from his mouth.

Mako whipped the back of his hand across his face, “Bro, gross”

“Sorry”

“Yes, that one. Well, she’s a childhood friend of mine and Kurvira’s, and she actually moved back to Republic City a couple of months ago, and to catch up as well as make her feel back at home I brought her along to Tenzin’s adoption days” Opal elaborated. “And she now owns not only this place but several other businesses, including the current establishment we work at”

Korra stopped trying to down her water in one gulp, “Please tell me it wasn’t the old lady”

She looked to Kuvira who just shrugged. That couldn’t be right, Kuvira would never show irritation at her boss, unless she was trying to get Korra in trouble again. Korra knew Kuvira wouldn’t let go about her crashing her car.

“Opal” she whined again, “please tell me it wasn’t the old lady”

Opal just shook her head.

Thank the spirits. Korra started finishing off her water when a very familiar voice sounded behind her.

“Hope you aren’t calling me old”

Korra hacked out the water that was halfway down her wind pipe, a solid thud of Kuvira’s palm against her back helping just as much as it hurt.

Several napkins were handed to her as Asami placed down another tray of food before sitting on Korra’s other side.

Korra coughed again, “Asami—what, hi! What are you doing here” the last part squeaked out.

She noticed the engineer was wearing entirely different clothes. Did she have some sort of closet in her car? Either way, she still looked just as heavenly in tight jeans and a blue hoodie.

“What didn’t think we’d meet so soon, stud?”

Korra blushed, it wasn’t going down anytime soon by the way Mako had whistled and Bolin was cooing.

Opal snorted, “can you at least introduce yourself first before you try to slip into Korra’s pants”

Korra tried to say something, to form some sort of coherent response but her brain was stuck.

“Fair enough, my name is Asami Sato. I lived in Republic City all my life until the last four years or so. As you probably know, the Beifongs and Satos have been friends for decades. My to-do list consists of reclaiming my family business to its former glory after my father trashed its reputation via insider trading, lead in the development of new Republic City infrastructure, and” Asami stared at Korra, her lips doing the thing again where Asami bites them “getting to know a certain stud who caught on fire not long ago”

Korra made a noise in the back of her throat. She was dead, she was so dead.

“Told you” Kuvira stage-whispered in her ear.

Korra just put her head on the table and hoped that by covering her face with her arms that her friends, plus one crush, wouldn’t see the red in her face. From the bark of laughter on all sides of the table, though, it seemed like it had been useless.

“Is that a sufficient introduction Opal” Asami sighed, leaning her head against a palm.

The woman snorted, “passable, you at least get points for memorability though”

Asami hummed again, shooting a wink at Korra.

Yup, Korra knew this woman was going to be the death of her.

“So, stud” Asami said, grining “about the next adoption day”


End file.
